“Akay sa Paglakbay” receives 2024 ASCEND Excellence Award for Undergraduate Research

This year’s ASCEND Excellence Award for Undergraduate Research was bestowed upon a mixed group of Ateneo students composed of Geordine Claire B. Aguilar (3 AB Development Studies), Annah Marie B. Montejo (3 BS Psychology), Antonella Mae V. Sampang (4 AB Economics), Mary Anjannette C. Santos (3 AB Development Studies), and Olivia Mary Gypsy A. Webb (4 AB Development Studies), along with two international English Literature students, Asmitha Senthil Velavan Ambika Devi, and Swarna Soma Sundram Radha Rajeswari (both from Lady Doak College, India) for their study entitled “Akay sa Paglakbay: A Participatory Action Research in Strengthening the Youth and Kapitbahayan Governance of GK St. Joseph”.

Their group, referred to as Team Banyuhay, carried out their research in collaboration with the Gawad Kalinga (GK) St. Joseph community in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, with the guidance of their Ateneo Development Field School (ADFS) faculty adviser, Dr. Mark Anthony D. Abenir from the Development Studies Program, and under the supervision of GK-Ateneo.

These young students were duly recognized for their inspiring and life-giving work during “PAGHAHANDOG 2024: Pinuno ng Misyon”, an annual awarding ceremony which was held this year on 10 June 2024 at the Leong Hall Auditorium.

For their research, Team Banyuhay conducted a two-week immersion in GK St. Joseph to identify opportunities that can be enhanced and problems that could be solved together with the members of the community, employing methods such as drawing with children to express their perspectives; utilizing photovoice and mapping exercises with youth to help articulate their views; SWOT analyses with homemakers, workers, the elderly, and people with disabilities; and Problem Tree Analysis with community leaders to better understand and in turn, address core issues.

Community governance emerged as a key area for intervention, which led to revising the community's foundational agreement or “kasunduan” in collaboration with the KapitBahayan council and formulating a mission and vision statement with the youth organization. Both of these interventions were met with community approval, underscoring the initiatives' role in fostering recognition of their developmental potential within GK St. Joseph.

Every year, the Ateneo Socio-Civic Engagement for National Development (ASCEND) Awards honors undergraduate, senior, and graduate students for projects and research work that demonstrate mastery of subject matter while engaging communities and institutions outside the Ateneo in contributing to national development. Projects are development interventions that have been implemented with observable impact while research work contributes to knowledge creation with the potential for social impact.

The ASCEND Excellence award is given to a particular project or research work that is the most outstanding at the undergraduate, senior, or graduate level and manifests in an extraordinary manner, all three of the following criteria:

1. Extraordinary mastery of subject matter and application of synthetic thinking.
2. Deep and extensive engagement with partner communities and institutions.
3. Addresses a national development concern in a strongly strategic and creative manner with very significant short-term impact on target beneficiaries and/or the potential for significant longer term impact in promoting the well-being of the greatest number.

It is through ASCEND that the Ateneo continuously nurtures and motivates its students to be compassionate leaders and effective change-makers, keeping the spirit of "persons for and with others" alive and fostering a culture of service and leadership in the realm of national development.

Photos courtesy of the following:

• Monica Isabel Jose from The Guidon
• The recipients of the 2024 ASCEND Excellence Award for Undergraduate Research